1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to microbatteries and methods for making same, more specifically to bio-based microbatteries and methods for making same.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Currently, numerous types of battery designs have been commercialized, resulting from application-based niches dependent on size, power, energy, convenience, and marketability. Unfortunately, batteries suffer from one or more of the following traits: toxicity, flammability, explosivity, low energy density, low discharge rate, instability, expensive material use, high fabrication costs, short cycle life, production complexity, and excessive design precautions. The major concerns are eliminating toxic components and fabricating devices on a smaller size scale.
With regards to environmental issues, 85% of the mercury (a highly toxic metal) found in New York's solid waste in 1996 was attributed to mercury batteries and in 1991, household batteries measured by weight were the second most common source of toxins in US landfills. The need to curb battery toxicity in the environment led to congressional action, such as enacting The Battery Act of 1996 to phase out the use of mercury in batteries and the Implementation of the Mercury-Containing and Rechargeable Battery Management Act of 1997 to provide for the efficient and cost-effective collection, recycling, and disposal of used nickel-cadmium batteries, small sealed lead-acid batteries, and other batteries deemed toxic under the purview of this act. (See http://www.epa.gov/compliance/civil/programs/ba/.) There is a need for batteries engineered and composed of materials that can significantly reduce device toxicity as opposed to that observed with conventional batteries.